Hae Metanoia
by RoxSalt
Summary: The existence of one child causes changes throughout the story of Dragon Ball Z. Princess Tarble, Vegeta's heir, is born and raised under the heavy thumb of an intergalactic warlord. This is the story of a family of two overcoming the challenges that the universe has imposed upon them and coming out stronger than before.


**Hey, so I've been working on this particular AU for a long while now. I didn't want to post it, but by boyfriend insists I should, so I figure I might as well. There's gonna be a lot of headcanon, a lot of made-up lore, and plenty of tropes here, just a fair warning. It is one of those innumerable "OC Saiyan" stories, but I've found very few that I actually enjoy reading, so this is what I've come up with. There's gonna be cursing, there's gonna be violence, there's gonna be bloodshed. It's Dragon Ball, so you should expect nothing less. Anyway, here you go. Valete.**

It all started when the prince of the Saiyan race was six cycles old. He had been fighting his whole life under the command of the galactic tyrant known as Freeza, an Arcosian with a keen sense of business and incredible power. The being had "taken Vegeta in" in an "act of charity," but the prince knew exactly what had happened. He remembered being abducted. He remembered seeing the remains of his father strewn around the throne room. He vividly recalled the horrible scent, his father's ever-comforting aroma mingling chillingly with the smell of ozone and burning flesh, not to mention blood. Vegeta was fully aware of what had happened. He saw his planet's destruction from on board the mothership. To add insult to injury, the lord had recalled all Saiyans to the planet, to ensure that no one escaped. He had hand-picked the Saiyans he wanted to keep. Unsurprisingly, they were all male. What Freeza didn't plan for was that his brother had also done business with the Saiyan empire.

Vegeta had met him when the Arcosian brothers met for their cyclic briefing. Vegeta was one of Freeza's best men, though the tyrant wouldn't admit it, so he had been taken along. They met on a relatively empty planet, housing a space station and little else. That was where he met Leek.

Vegeta couldn't believe his eyes when he first spotted the other Saiyan. There was no way he should be alive. He couldn't tell if the Arcosians just didn't know what he was, or if Cooler knew and had a plan. Either way, Vegeta decided there and then that he needed to take the chance the gods had offered him. He thought all those who could bear cubs had died. Freeza had tried to keep the population limited to the point that they couldn't reproduce, and that meant killing off all of the bearers. He had failed, and Vegeta was ready to exploit his failure.

To understand how the survival of this one Saiyan contributed to Freeza's ultimate failure, one needs to understand how Saiyan genetics work, in at least the most basic sense. Saiyans, while remarkable similar to humans, have several differences from humans, one being that Saiyans have three genders. The first is called famir, and is essentially the same as a human male. The second is rohir, which is basically like a human female. The third, kemir, has no human equivalent. They were rare and could only be born of other kemir. While they appeared male, kemir were capable of both siring and birthing cubs. This trait was adapted back when the Tuffles inhabited Vegetasei, and the Saiyan population was dwindling. Leek was a kemir, Vegeta a famir. Together, they could begin to repopulate the Saiyan race.

Leek was honored to meet his prince. He was ready to serve his people, however few there were. They spent every free moment they had during the week of the briefing together in Vegeta's private quarters. After that was when Leek went into hiding, and Vegeta swore he would return. The royal Saiyan had to return to Freeza. He was too important to the tyrant to just fall off the radar and not have a manhunt ordered after him.

Eight months later, Vegeta met with Leek on Freeza Planet 419. It was a planet that very few Planet Trade Organization members frequented, ever since the species miraculously repopulated. They were extremely annoying, but at least it was somewhere that they'd be safe. That was the idea, anyway.

Freeza found out about Vegeta's unauthorized trip to an abandoned planet and found the entire situation suspicious. The young prince was not exactly the best at planning ahead at the time. He was tracked and followed by the Arcosian tyrant, and a few days later, Freeza appeared on his refuge.

Leek had given birth only days before Freeza arrived. He bore a tiny female who looked almost identical to her sire. Her large eyes were charcoal black, and her long hair was soft to the touch. Vegeta was in awe of the babe. It hadn't registered before, but this was a living being that he had a hand in creating. This child was _his_. He didn't love Leek. He had never felt any kind of attraction to him. He was grateful, though, to the Saiyan who gave him hope that their race would go on.

His hope was soon shattered, though, when the inevitable happened. The cub was three days old and spent most of her time asleep. She had to begin to build up her ki reserves, after all. She would sleep at least fourteen hours a day for her first four months of life. Vegeta spend most of those three days hunting, training, and watching his cub as she began to acclimate herself to the world. In three short days, he had already formed a bond with something so weak, so insignificant, and he didn't understand why. He did know that he would do whatever it took to protect the defenseless cub (although defenseless was somewhat inaccurate, considering the Saiyans are born with needle-sharp teeth and nails).

Freeza's arrival was announced by way of ship thrusters and screaming Kanassans. Vegeta felt his entire being go cold. He had been so caught up with his new little family, with his bundle of hope, that he had completely forgotten the being that had worked so hard to keep his hope down. His first instinct was to protect his cub. He realized that the situation he had dug himself into would require tact and careful strategy to get out of.

He knew that he was important to Freeza. He hated the very idea, but Freeza was amused by him and had grown to like him, as one would like a pet. He had no opinion on Leek, but when he found out what had happened under his nose (and he most certainly would), Freeza would kill him without question. The safest place for his cub to be, as much as it went against all of his instincts, was with him.

He was honestly taken aback by how calm his newborn child was. She was wide awake, having been roused from her sleep by the cries of the locals. She didn't cry, however. She didn't make a sound. She just kept her wide, innocent eyes on her father. Vegeta held her a little closer. This would be a risky move, but it was his only shot. He never got to thank Leek for what he had done.

Freeza had thanked the mother of his child for Vegeta, with a fist through the sternum. Vegeta stood in the one-room home they had been staying in, staring blankly at Freeza with his child held protectively in his arms. The tyrant crossed the threshold into the house and fixed Vegeta with a malicious glare. It turned into a smirk, however, when he caught sight of what the prince was holding.

"So this is what's been keeping you, hm?" he asked, his tone so demeaning it was sickening. Vegeta kept his breathing calm, remaining unmoved. "I'll ask you once, Vegeta, how exactly did this come about?" The Saiyan had been expecting this. He still wasn't sure what he could say to ensure the survival of both himself and his cub. He had to try, though.

"The Saiyan you just killed," Vegeta said, "was the bearer of this cub." Freeza hummed mockingly.

"How fascinating. And am I to assume that each male Saiyan is a bitch, too?" Vegeta's free fist clenched under the swaddling clothes, but his face remained stoic.

"No, Lord Freeza. That Saiyan was not male. There is not a word in the Universal Standard Language for his gender, nor any pronouns."

"A third gender?" At this point, Freeza was no longer feigning interest. This was something that he had overlooked, something that could cause him a lot of trouble in the future. "And how many other Saiyans of the third gender are there?" This, Vegeta didn't have to lie about.

"He was the last," he said, glancing over at Leek's still bleeding body. "If Raditz or Nappa were kemir, the third gender, I would not have sought out this Saiyan from Cooler's forces." Freeza eyed the bundle Vegeta held skeptically.

"And the whelp?" Vegeta kept his heart rate steady and carefully controlled his features.

"Rohir, Lord. Female in Standard." The despicable smirk that grew on Freeza's face sent a cold wave of anxiety through Vegeta. He breathed deeply and carefully.

"Now, I'm sure you are going to want to keep it, Vegeta," Freeza spoke to him as if he were speaking to a young child who brought home a kitten. "I just don't quite see why I should reward you when you left without my permission. I was quite worried, you know." 'Bullshit,' Vegeta thought, but he kept his temper in check.

"Saiyans born of kemir are stronger than those born of rohir. She will likely be more powerful than I am, and has the potential to be a valuable asset to your army." Vegeta had never felt more relieved when Freeza finally dipped his head, relenting to his request.

"Very well, Vegeta, but know that none of your assignments or scheduled activities will be changed to accommodate the brat. You are fully responsible for it. I would, however, like to have a hand in its training, once it's old enough." The thought made Vegeta's stomach sour. He knew what training with Freeza meant. He had experienced it himself. He considered for a moment if it would be more of a mercy to let his child die, rather than be subjected to the torture Freeza would put her through. He shook the thought out of his head. Filicide was one of the gravest crimes, even in cases such as these. He would just have to work harder to become stronger. He would have to defeat Freeza sooner rather than later.

"Yes, Lord Freeza," he answered. Freeza's smirk grew wider.

"Ah, that's not quite all, Vegeta," he added. "Know that you will be severely punished for going behind my back like this. You have two hours once we return to the ship to… introduce, the newest monkey to the zoo before you are expected in my throne room. Leave it with them. I am showing you great clemency, Vegeta. Remember this."

Vegeta expected the sudden traffic in the halls when he arrived back at the mothership. He figured Freeza would pull something like this. The tyrant intended to slow him down, keep him from meeting his deadline. He had done it before. This time, Vegeta just roughly pushed the other aliens out of the way, getting to the Saiyans' assigned rooms within half an hour.

Raditz and Nappa were both practically overflowing with questions, but they knew that their prince didn't have the time to answer them. He silently handed Nappa his cub, shushing her when she whimpered, and looked between the two men.

"I'll explain later," he promised quietly. "She's my cub, three days old."

"Name?" Raditz asked, keeping things brief. Vegeta took a second to consider it. He had only felt attachment to one other person that wasn't his parents. The feelings he had regarding the infant were remarkably similar to those he felt for another Saiyan. That Saiyan was dead, though. He didn't need his name anymore, and it would work just as well for his daughter.

"Tarble," Vegeta answered, looking at his cub once more. Her black eyes met his, and he held her gaze for just a moment before he had to force himself to turn. "I will be back. She is your princess. Treat her as such."

He had managed to make it to Freeza's throne room minutes before his two hours were up. The Arcosian was clearly disappointed, but he soon cheered up when he stood to greet his soldier. As he slowly stalked toward Vegeta, the prince stared ahead fearlessly. He knew what was coming, and while he did dread it, he knew that the pain could never match the hope and pride he felt when he first set eyes on the tiny child that he created. He had the realization that he was willing to face a thousand beatings for the sake of his cub, and would still rise to meet the next obstacle afterward. That day, as he was beaten, battered, and tortured, he discovered that the infant that was safe in his general's arms, his baby, would become one of his greatest sources of strength.

**Quick note: One cycle is equivalent to three Earth years.**


End file.
